baking – The Purpose Copywriter

Grime MC turns bakery owner – Samuel Mensah of Uncle John’s Bakery talks family business

I discovered Uncle John’s Bakery on social media a while ago and like all good journalists, I did my research and found it was a London-based Ghanaian family business. As a fellow London-born Ghanaian, I was intrigued by the business but also because, I couldn’t think of a commercial Ghanaian bakery in London, unlike Ghanaian restaurants which are not uncommon, if you know where to find them.

I was keen to find out more about this business and spoke with the director, Samuel Mensah and talk about his Entrepreneur Rising Star Black British Business Award (BBBAward) nomination. Samuel took over the business, which was founded nearly 25 years ago by his parents and is named after his father – Uncle John. Following the customary ‘so when were you last in Ghana?’ chat, when you meet a fellow Ghanaian for the first time, Samuel shared insights into how this baking business has risen.

Getting started

When did you get involved in the business?
In 2014 when I was 29. Before that I was building my music career as a grime / hip-hop MC and doing athletics but got injured.

Why did you get involved?
I knew the business needed a solid infrastructure and wanted to use my transferable skills from being in the music industry, like networking, to take the business to the next level. I didn’t publicise that I was part of the business initially.

What was the solid infrastructure the business needed?
We had to improve our digital presence, from our website to how we connected with our customers. I had to modernise our internal systems and build a strong team.

Were you resentful about leaving your music career behind?
There were lots of things going on in the streets and I wanted to show others there are ways to make something of yourself, outside of music and sports. Having a daughter also made me realise I had to help the business, not just for me, but for later generations.

Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee Brownies

Jamaica is the 5^th largest populated island in the Caribbean, with nearly 3 million people. The cool Blue Mountains, are famous for producing some of the world’s most sought after coffee!

The Blue Mountain coffee bean, comes from Arabica coffee plant. According to the Coffee Industry Board of Jamaica (CIBJ), at one point buyers were paying six times more for the Jamaican coffee bean than coffee from Latin America or Africa. But in times of global economic austerity, buyers are looking for a better deal especially their main buyer Japan, which imports around 75% of Jamaican coffee. Production of Blue Mountain Coffee goes through stringent quality assurance processes, to ensure its premium quality. To prove authenticity, the coffee needs to be certified by the CIBJ.

As tasty as it may be coffee isn’t just for drinking, and has been used in baking for decades. Try out this recipe for Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee Brownies from Bon Appetit , and let us know what you think by commenting below.

jamaican-coffee-brownies-with-pecans — Can’t go wrong with some yummy brownies. Photo credit: Bon Appétit

Ad⁺s Diaspora:

Snippets of an African legacy

Pot & Platter is the food section of this blog –> A curation of what’s cooking in the African-Caribbean food scene: Cooked up in our blog pot and served on a platter.

Twitter: @PotAndPlatter

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Breadfruit – the superfood

Not as famous as other Caribbean staple foods such as yam and cassava, however breadfruit has an interesting history and much loved in the Caribbean. When its name is mentioned people usually ask, ‘what is breadfruit?’

Although breadfruit grows across the Caribbean, it’s in St Vincent where it’s apparently held in highest regard. A staple food in the Caribbean, breadfruit (with its potato like texture) originates from Tahiti, the largest island in French Polynesia.

Breadfruit plants were taken to the Caribbean by the British in 1793, as a source of food for slaves.

High in iron, calcium and potassium, and B vitamins and low in fat; breadfruit is prepared in various ways. In St Vincent and Jamaica, it’s usually roasted.

Breadfruit pie and chips are common snacks, but people have found inventive ways of making use of the Caribbean staple food including, pickled breadfruit, breadfruit pizza dough and even breadfruit ice cream!

Ad⁺s Diaspora:

Snippets of an African legacy; from a colourful perspective

Twitter: @PotAndPlatter

Instagram:@ads_diaspora

www.facebook.com/adsdiaspora

Ad⁺s Diaspora: @adsdiaspora

Fresh Jamaican ginger cake

Caribbean ginger cake has been a staple dessert in the UK for years. British Chef, Jamie Oliver’s YouTube channel shows a quick recipe, but is it a real traditional Jamaican ginger cake recipe?

Ad⁺s Diaspora: @adsdiaspora

Snippets of an African legacy; from a colourful perspective

Twitter: @PotAndPlatter – for more African-Caribbean inspired food.

Unusual plantain recipes

Some interesting recipes based on one of our favourite tropical food staples.

Starting with the plantain hamburger.

And then with the plantain cheesecake!

Check out the rest here!

Ad⁺s Diaspora: @adsdiaspora

Snippets of an African legacy; from a colourful perspective

@PotAndPlatter – A curation of who’s cooking in the African & Caribbean food scene: Cooked up in our blog pot and served on a platter. Enjoy!

South African fried doughnuts: Amagwinya

Africa is a continent with many different cultures and #recipes; but where there are differences, there are also similarities. Check out this video, how does it compare to Ghana’s version (Bofrot – video below) of the fried doughnut treat?

Ghanaian Bofrot

Ad⁺s Diaspora: @adsdiaspora

Snippets of an African legacy; from a colourful perspective.

@PotAndPlatter – A curation of who’s cooking in the African & Caribbean food scene: Cooked up in our blog pot and served on a platter. Enjoy!

Spicy Jamaican Ginger Cake

There’s nothing like a moist and crumbly slice of ginger cake to satisfy the soul. As a child I loved ginger biscuits and that is when my ginger indulgence began. Jamaican ginger is renowned for its intense flavour and as the main ingredient in the popular Jamaican ginger cake recipe, this Caribbean cake has become a must have in many parts of the world.

I must say, I didn’t expect Caribbean desserts to feature at the annual Pop-up Africa event at Spitalfields Market in central London at the end of May, but thinking about it, Africa and the Caribbean do have an intertwined history, so it made perfect sense…

Described as “A unique interactive shopping experience inspired by Africa; ‘Africa at Spitalfields’ – promotes and celebrates all things African and African inspired.” I was looking forward to all the festivities and food on display from the African/Caribbean diaspora in London. Having a sweet tooth my first point of call was to check out the desserts; you can never stock up on too many desserts!

spicy jamaican ginger cake receipe — Ginger spice: Photo: Stock Xchng (jeff1980)

A bit of food history….

It’s said that the roots of Zingiber officinale the tropical herbaceous plant, which produces the ginger spice originated in Asia. Used by the Indians and Chinese for its healing properties over 5000 years ago, you can guess that the rest of the world wanted a taste of this intriguingly pungent spice and Arab traders brought it to Europe. Once the Roman Empire fell, ginger nearly became obsolete. Between the 11^th-13^th centuries ginger made a European comeback and was said to be imported to the New World by Spanish conquistadors. Ginger is s now grown in tropical countries across the Caribbean and Africa. From 1585, Jamaican ginger was the first Asian-originated spice to be grown in the New World and exported back to Europe.

spicy Caribbean ginger cake — You can never go wrong with some good old ginger cake…

While walking around the market I was scoping out which stalls to visit; Tantie Lorraine’s ginger cake was calling out to me. I love all things ginger and was eager to try this Trinidadian version of the ginger cake. A friend told me that ‘Tantie’ is a version of ‘Auntie’ used in some part of the Caribbean. In some African cultures the term Auntie is also used to address an older woman, who may not necessarily be your blood relative (as a sign of respect).

There were various other cakes and cookies on offer but I only tried the ginger cake. I do regret not trying the chocolate Guinness cake though! An unusual combination which I’ve never had before; I’m not a fan of Guinness on its own, but do like it when mixed with something sweet, like Caribbean Guinness punch. If I knew Tantie Lorranie won a Great Taste Award for her rum and raisin brownies, I would have tried those too!

Caribbean ginger cake has been a staple dessert in the UK for years. On British Chef, Jamie Oliver’s YouTube channel, a quick recipe is demonstrated, but is it a real traditional Jamaican ginger cake recipe?

Have your say; watch the video and vote below…If you have a better recipe, post it in the comments section!

Ad⁺s Diaspora:

An African affect with a colourful perspective

Twitter: @adsdiaspora

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